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We packed up our beach bags, grabbed a Maven, and headed to Rexhame Beach for a day of fun in the sun! My beach bag was stashed with my favorite sunscreen, snacks, all of Bubzy's favorite toys, a portable speaker, and of course, my must-have products from Almay. I'm not really one for makeup at the beach, but their new Cosmic Collection including their new Make Them Jelly™ Hi-Lite is the kind of thing you'll want to stash in your beach bag!

I applied it to the area above my cheekbone and around my temples as well as the brow bone for an out-of-this-world hilight effect. It's a unique jelly hiligher and a little goes a long way; lightly dip your ring finger into the jelly and apply wherever your heart desires for a little extra luster. There are two celestial shades; Mermaid Magic is a blue and purple hued iridescent glitter, while Unicorn Light is a pretty hued pink, which was my chosen hue for the day.

For some added drama I covered my lids with Almay Shadow Squad Eyeshadow Holographic in Illusionist. There are four iridescent effects in each palette; I used the color in the lower left quadrant to cover my lids, then used the color in the upper right quadrant for the crease. A bit of Almay's Pencil Liner to the waterline and a swipe of Almay's Thickening Mascara and the eye's have it!

To complete my look I applied a bit of Almay's Goddess Gloss in Cosmic below the bow of my upper lip and the center of my bottom lip for a light-catching effect that's particularly effective and eye catching over bold lip colors. With pomegranate, grape, and raspberry oils, this lip gloss is ultra hydrating, leaving lips feeling hydrated. A.K.A. exactly what you want on your lips on a summer day! Lasted perfectly through an afternoon at the beach but also perfect for a glimmering first date, summer pool party, or rooftop soirée. Any occasion is an occasion for Almay's Goddess Gloss + Cosmic Collection!

This post was sponsored by Almay. All content and opinions expressed are my own. Thanks for supporting those who support style-wire.com.

This post was sponsored by Basic Invite. All opinions expressed are my own. Thanks for supporting those who support Style-Wire.com!

Someone recently recommended me for a new gig and I found myself scrambling for a Thank You card to attach with my gift. Just after that my parents helped us set up our guest room and yet again I was out of stationery. It's always these little, unexpected occasions that leave me wondering why the heck I don't have an entire arsenal of cards, stationery, and thank you notes.

I sat down to place a giant order on BasicInvite.com. I made my business cards on BasicInvite.com not that long ago and I always get so many compliments on them. It always amazes me because they were so simple to design with their templates. I even uploaded my own graphics to each card for a custom look and feel. I loved that they offered a foil option and double thick matte paper options. If you're not sure about how something will look or want to feel their many paper options you can request custom samples before placing your final order. Basic Invite allows you to get samples of your printed product before you purchase allowing you to get a feel for the paper quality, colors, and overall design so there are no surprises when your custom order arrives.

It was hard to narrow down exactly what I wanted this time around, there are almost unlimited color options and I found myself playing with the preview options for hours. The color of each element can be changed allowing you to completely customize nearly every product available, from cards, to ornate wedding invites and RSVPs, modern coed baby shower invitations, minimal thank you cards, and more.

They make it easy to send out all of their products as well; Basic Invite offers an address capturing service. Simple share a link and request the mailing address of your friends and family, which are then stored within your account and can be selected for your envelopes during the design process. Simply add postage and mail upon arrival! You can get 15% off your Basic Invite order with coupon code 15FF51! I ordered these thank you notes, but how amazing are these three portrait business cards, and how cute are these woodland animal baby shower invitations!?

I'm all about eating cleaner and trying to eat more fruits and veggies, but I can't tell you how many times I buy produce with the best intentions only to have it die a slow death in the crisper or it's plastic clamshell. (Please tell me I'm not alone despite my good intentions?!) Such was NOT the case when I grabbed a few packages of Little Leaf Farms lettuce. Greens so crisp, so fresh, it puts literally all other greens to shame. (No really, this is a sponsored post, but my boyfriend insists we exclusively buy Little Leaf now.)

From salads to toppings for burgers and tacos, we can't get enough Little Leaf Farms! I crafted up a few fresh summer recipes using Little Leaf's Baby Spring Mix and Baby Crispy Green Leaf lettuce; a Stacked apple salad and a grilled stone fruit and burrata salad thats perfect for both grilling season and these hot summer days. Make sure to let me know how you like them if you try them!

I love this recipe because it's so simple, looks really impressive on the plate, and can easily be converted to a flavorful bite-sized app for parties and cookouts. Swap the gorgonzola for Brie, or your cheese of choice, and if spice isn't your thing, clover honey adds a sweet but floral flavor to the dish. Adding walnuts and dried cranberries also makes for a deconstructed twist on the classic Waldorf salad.

Preheat broiler to low and toast pine nuts for 2-3 minutes. (Watch your nuts, they'll burn easily!) Put Arugula, toasted pine nuts, and shredded Parmesan into food processor or blender and begin blending on medium. Add olive oil to the blender slowly until smooth. Season to taste. Admittedly, I didn't measure anything when I crafted this recipe; pesto is so simple to make and is a great place to start experimenting with cooking since it's so inexact. The quality of your cheese and pine nuts and freshness of your greens will all affect the flavor of your pesto.

For the Salad:

Rinse all produce with cool water and lightly pat dry. Cut stone fruit in half and remove pits. I used apricots and cherries, but any other stone fruit will do; peaches, nectaries, plums, whatever is fresh and in season. Grill the stone fruit until it has prominent grill marks (or use a grill pan in the oven if you're an apartment dweller like I am); The deeper the char, the deeper the flavor. Plate with Little Leaf Farms Baby Crispy Green Leaf Lettuce lightly dressed in olive oil and vinegar (any vinegar you have on hand will work), place burrata in the center of the salad, and top with stone fruit. Dress your burrata with a generous spoonful of pesto and serve.

Bon Apetit, and happy summer!

This post was created in collaboration with Little Leaf Farms. All content and opinions expressed are my own, thanks for supporting those who support Style-Wire.com!

This post was sponsored by USA Network, but all content and opinions expressed are my own. Thanks for supporting those who support Style-Wire.com!

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It's back! Last year I introduced you to my newest TV obsession, Queen of the South, and it's back for a third season on USA Network. In this third season, Teresa Mendoza has seized the throne and is finally coming into her own as Queenpin. And she is totally killing the game. Uhm, have you seen that amazing white tailored suit she rocks?! A suit like that is total boss babe status!

I'll admit, the one thing that makes me feel like a total boss babe like Teresa Mendoza is a great outfit and a great pair of shoes. Whether it's a tailored suit, fitted dress, or just a great pair of jeans, nothing makes me feel more confident than a great outfit and a sky high pair of heels. And being a boss babe and #MakingitReign is all about confidence, right!? These Marni heels are my absolute favorite. I put them on and I'm ready to rule just like the Queen of the South.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, not to worry! You have plenty of time to catch up on the previous seasons. Season three debuts on June 21st at 9/8c on USA but seasons one and two are both now available to stream on Netflix! I'm currently rewatching season 2 and it's a doozy. Sometimes I can't believe what Teresa gets herself into and the crazy, innovative ways she gets through it all. Literally every episode has me at the edge of my seat-- you won't be able to resist binging the entire series!

So mark your calendars for Thursday June 21st at 9/8c and get ready to watch Teresa Mendoza #MakeItReign in season three of Queen of the South on USA Network!

Summer was made for day tripping and by far the easiest way to explore a new city is on foot. I ditched the car and hopped on the Amtrak Downeaster last week to take the train to Maine to do just that. They have a killer BOGO deal where you can take a friend for free! Check out their site for all of their deals and discounts! Zack and I set out to explore Freeport, Maine; home of L.L. Bean, a multitude of outlets, and the Maine Beer Company alongside a variety of restaurants as well as Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park and the Desert of Maine.

With trains leaving throughout the day, we opted to hop on the Amtrak Downeaster just after lunch and made our way to Freeport, Maine for a quick getaway. We boarded the train, loaded our luggage, and grabbed drinks in the Cafe Car before settling in for the ride ahead. We both logged onto the free on board wi-fi, and Zack tuned into his favorite podcasts while I worked on email and blog content. It was a smooth, comfortable ride the whole way with coastal views of Maine and since I wasn't driving, I got to enjoy every bit of it! The view, the wi-fi, and even a cocktail! I'll take the Amtrak Downeaster to Maine over driving any day.

Just a few hours later we arrived in Freeport and set out for our hotel. Freeport is very accessible with the outlets, hotels, and dining all steps from Freeport Station. We checked in at the Hilton Garden Inn, dropped our luggage and set out to explore the town.

We had drinks at the local tavern before checking out a couple of the outlets and making our way to dinner. We took an Uber to nearby Yarmouth, Maine for dinner at Gather, which was absolutely delicious! We loved the locally sourced ingredients and menu and ordered the Smoked Duck Rillet, Fried Chicken and Biscuit, and the Butcher's Plate Special which was a yummy Lasagna Bolognese. Every bite was delicious!

After dinner we headed back to the hotel for drinks at the bar and a quick dip in the pool before heading back to the room to watch movies and turn in for the night. The next morning we totally missed breakfast (Whoops! The free breakfast is one of the best parts of staying with Hilton!) and requested a late check out.

We checked out and had a few hours to kill before our evening train back to Boston so naturally we hit the outlets! L.L.Bean is HUGE (and open 24 hours a day/365 days a year), but there was also Banana Republic, LOFT, Oakley, J. Crew, plus some really great local spots including the Coastal Maine Popcorn Company where we stocked up on Wasabi Soy and Dill Pickle Popcorn before making our way back to Freeport Station.

You can see more photos from our Maine adventure at #ExploreMoreDriveLess. Ready to board the train to Maine?! Be sure to you share your own photos from your adventure on the Amtrak Downeaster using #ExploreMoreDriveLess and tag @amtrakdowneaster on IG and @riderail on Twitter you'll be entered for a chance to win pair of round trip tickets on the Amtrak Downeaster for your next trip! With so much to see and do along the coast of Maine, we're already planning our next Amtrak adventure!

This post was sponsored by Amtrak Downeaster. All content and opinions expressed are my own. Thanks for supporting those who support Style-Wire.com!